Burns vs. Beltran II deal almost done for February rematch

By Boxing News - 10/25/2013 - Comments

burns5By Scott Gilfoid: Negotiations for a rematch between WBO lightweight champion Ricky Burns (36-2-1, 11 KO’s) and #3 WBO Raymundo Beltran (28-6-1, 17 KO’s) is almost done for a February rematch, according to the BBC Sport. The fight once again will take place in Glasgow, Scotland, which is where Burns and Beltran went at it last September with the fight ending in a highly controversial 12 round draw.

Beltran dominated 9 of the 12 rounds of the fight, and knocked Burns down in the 8th round from a big left hook from Beltran. After the fight it was learned that Burns had fought with a broken jaw through most of the bout. Burns felt that his broken jaw was one of the reasons why he was so ineffective in the fight.

Burns’ manager Alex Morrison told the BBC “Ricky feels it’s the moral thing to do in giving Beltran another shot. He wants to put the record straight after fighting for 10 rounds with a broken jaw…We want it. Beltran wants and the fans want it. The deal is done. We’re 99 percent there and we’re just waiting for the final confirmation.”

Beltran said he only would fight Burns again if it were to take place in the United States. But I guess he was persuaded somehow to take the fight in Scotland again. I just hope he doesn’t end up sorry he agreed to it, because it would be a tragedy if Beltran whips Burns for a second time and ends up getting jobbed again.

It’s funny how Morrison is talking about how it was the moral thing for them to give Beltran the rematch. Do you really think that Burns could have walked away from the Beltran fight and carried on as if everything was normal? Burns would be looked on as a paper champion, which is how a lot of fans see him now given the controversial nature of his decision. Burns absolutely had to give Beltran a rematch if he wanted to quiet the controversy over the results of their September fight.

The Beltran fight is really Burns’ best chance of winning his next bout because he’s got a mandatory defense coming against #1 WBO Terence Crawford and that’s an un-winnable fight for Burns. He stands absolutely zero chance of beating Crawford. The only way Burns can get out of taking the fight against Crawford is by vacating his strap like he did in the past when he was the WBO super featherweight champion, fighting a unification bout against IBF lightweight champion Miguel Vazquez OR facing Beltran in a rematch.

So in a big way, Beltran was the path of least resistance for Burns, because Vazquez would be a tough customer due to his boxing skills, and Crawford would simply school Burns like no tomorrow. When you look at Burns’ options that he had in front of him, then the the Beltran fight seems like his only real alternative other than vacating. Burns is really boxed in here and you can see that end is near for him as the WBO lightweight champion. Beltran will likely beat Burns like a drum in February, unless we get another controversial decision.



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